Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion ~Season 1~ DVD

The Holy Britannian Empire controls one third of the world. Japan was conquered in 2010 and redesignated Area 11 — its people stripped of their name, their rights, and their identity, referred to now as Elevens. Lelouch vi Britannia was once a prince of that empire, abandoned in Japan as a political hostage alongside his blind, wheelchair-bound sister Nunnally after their mother was assassinated and their father expressed no interest in pursuing justice. He has been living quietly in Area 11 under an assumed name, passing time with chess and school, waiting. Then a chance encounter during a terrorist skirmish puts him in contact with a mysterious green-haired girl named C.C., who grants him the Geass — the power of absolute command, compelling anyone to obey any single order. Lelouch becomes Zero, a masked revolutionary leading the Japanese resistance known as the Black Knights. With his extraordinary tactical mind, his hatred of Britannia, and his desire to create a world in which Nunnally can live in peace, he begins dismantling an empire. The problem is that his best friend Suzaku Kururugi is on the other side.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a 25-episode political mecha drama produced by Sunrise — the studio behind Mobile Suit Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, and Inuyasha — directed by Gorō Taniguchi (Planetes, s-CRY-ed), with character designs by CLAMP and mechanical designs by Akira Yasuda. It aired on MBS from October 6, 2006 to July 29, 2007 and became one of the most acclaimed and commercially successful anime of the decade — winning the Newtype Anime Award for Best Series in 2007 and achieving enormous international popularity through Adult Swim broadcast beginning April 27, 2008. The English dub was produced by ZRO Limit Productions with director oversight from Taniguchi himself. Bandai Entertainment released the complete season across three slipcover DVD sets in North America, covering the full 25 episodes. A box collection was also released March 22, 2011. FUNimation re-licensed the franchise in 2013 following Bandai Entertainment's 2012 shutdown.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Gorō Taniguchi (Planetes, s-CRY-ed, Code Geass R2)
Series Composition: Ichiro Okouchi (Azumanga Daioh, Angelic Layer, Code Geass R2)
Character Design: CLAMP (Cardcaptor Sakura, RG Veda, Magic Knight Rayearth, Angelic Layer, Chobits, Tsubasa)
Mechanical Design: Akira Yasuda
Studio: Sunrise (Mobile Suit Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, Outlaw Star)
Music: Kotaro Nakagawa & Hitomi Kuroishi
Opening Theme 1 (eps 1–12): "Colors" by Flow
Opening Theme 2 (eps 13–25): "Kaidokufunō" by Jinn
Ending Theme 1: "Yūkyō Seishunka" by Ali Project
Ending Theme 2: "Mosaic Kakera" by SunSet Swish

Japanese Cast:
• Jun Fukuyama as Lelouch vi Britannia / Lelouch Lamperouge / Zero
• Takahiro Sakurai as Suzaku Kururugi
• Yukana as C.C.
• Ami Koshimizu as Kallen Stadtfeld / Kallen Kōzuki
• Sayaka Ohara as Cornelia li Britannia
• Kikuko Inoue as Marianne vi Britannia (Tenchi Universe, El-Hazard, Gate Keepers, Oh My Goddess!, Noir, Saint Tail, Fruits Basket, Wagnaria!! — Kyoko)
• Norio Wakamoto as Charles zi Britannia (Gate Keepers, Slayers, Kishin Corps, Metropolis, Puppet Princess, Legend of Crystania — Barbas)

English Dub Cast (ZRO Limit Productions):
• Johnny Yong Bosch as Lelouch / Zero (Power Rangers, Trigun, Akira 2001 dub, Ah My Goddess The Movie, Freedom)
• Yuri Lowenthal as Suzaku Kururugi (Ghost Talker's Daydream, Texhnolyze, Star Ocean EX — Claude)
• Kate Higgins as C.C.
• Karen Strassman as Kallen (Burn-Up Scramble — Maya)
• Liam O'Brien as Jeremiah Gottwald (Night on the Galactic Railroad, RG Veda, Descendants of Darkness, Captain Tylor OVA, DNA², Comic Party, Ghost Talker's Daydream)
• Crispin Freeman as Rolo Lamperouge (Season 2 — Night on the Galactic Railroad, RG Veda, Descendants of Darkness, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Slayers — Zelgadis, Shamanic Princess — Kagetsu, Record of Lodoss War)

DVD Part Breakdown (Bandai Entertainment, 3-Part Slipcover Release)

• Part 1 — Episodes 1–8 (slipcover): Lelouch gains Geass; Zero identity established; Black Knights formed
• Part 2 — Episodes 9–17 (slipcover): Battle of Narita; Shirley arc; SAZ incident
• Part 3 — Episodes 18–25 (slipcover): Black Rebellion; Season 1 finale
• Audio Dramas (Limited Edition volumes — select releases)
• Bandai Entertainment Previews
• Note: Bandai Entertainment Season 1 Box Collection (all 25 eps) also released March 22, 2011. FUNimation re-licensed 2013 following Bandai's 2012 shutdown.

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ (Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu / Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion)
Runtime: 625 Minutes (Complete Season 1, 25 Episodes)
Director: Gorō Taniguchi
DVD Release Year: 2008–2009 (U.S. 3-Part Slipcover Release — Bandai Entertainment); Box Collection March 22, 2011; FUNimation re-license 2013; FUNimation Collector's Edition Blu-ray (Seasons 1 & 2) October 4, 2016
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): October 6, 2006 – July 29, 2007 (MBS)
Publisher: Bandai Entertainment (out of print); FUNimation Entertainment (current license holder)
Rating: TV-14
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: Bandai Entertainment editions out of print following 2012 shutdown. English dub produced by ZRO Limit Productions with director Taniguchi advising on characterization. Adult Swim broadcast began April 27, 2008. CLAMP character designs.
Genre: Action, Drama, Mecha, Science Fiction
Themes: Rebellion, Chess Metaphor, Super Power, Mecha, Military

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.